San Telmo is the suburb Rosie and The Operator have been living in during our stay in Buenos Aires. It is one of the oldest suburbs in town and has an old fashioned ‘back in the day’ feel about it with a bit of bohemian vibe mixed in.
The buildings are mainly low rise three story colonial buildings from the 18th century and the area is still authentic and lived in by locals. It has narrow cobblestone streets lined with elegant, decorative and mostly crumbling, family owned bakeries, restaurants, fruit stores and antiquated hardware stores.
Navigating the streets can be treacherous, footpaths are cracked and paving stones erupt from it or are missing altogether leaving huge craters. Dogs are being walked on leads or sans owners are walking themselves everywhere. The tang of dog piss is rife and the soft stinking grenades these animals leave are everywhere. And Rosie means everywhere…like live landmines….just ready for the unwitting or upward gazing tourist to stand on…lucky Rosie has The Operator to steer her clear as she does the latter.
The history of this neighborhood is chequered, and amazing in the way it has endured over time. In the 17th century it was home to labourers arriving from Italy and Spain…they were forced out by the wealthy who built the homes you see today along with the infrastructure of sewer lines and the first gas lighting installed in the city in 1852. This era of wealth was short lived, in 1871 an outbreak of Yellow Fever in San Telmo killed thousands and the wealthy abandoned their homes and fled to the other side of the city. Left empty for decades, San Telmos mansions were divided up into smaller apartments and rented/sold to new immigrants that arrived during intense periods of immigration that lasted up until after WW2.
The heart of the neighborhood is Dorrego Square, a large open, tree shaded square where during the week tables from the cafes that ring ring the square are spread out under the trees and handcrafted items are sold on the periphery to those walking by. Buskers sing and Tango dancers dance in the middle and beautiful houses surround it.
On Sundays the square comes to life when it hosts a flea market which completely fills the Plaza and it was a pleasure to wander around in the winter sun and look at the stalls full of handcrafts, antiques, jewelry and second hand and vintage items.
This man was selling the most beautiful feather dusters ever! Rosie noticed it was the duster of choice at the Recoleta Cemetery used by the caretakers for keeping the caskets dust free. He was funny to watch, striking poses and chasing people around with his feather dusters enticing a sale.
We stopped for a coffee after visiting the market and wow…..this couple turned up….tables were cleared and they danced for us all. Rosie doesn’t know much about Tango, but everyone seems to be able to dance it here! And the show by these two youngsters, was amazing.
This is an old school local restaurant we had lunch in, it was swarming with people and the waiters wore white shirts, bow ties and waistcoats. Plus, it was our cheapest meal yet! $500 pesos for ravioli pasta and a huge toasted ham, tomato and cheese sandwich with a litre of beer and a bottle of water. $17.50 NZD….and that included a ten percent tip.
The Mercado de San Telmo opened in 1897 to cater to the needs of the new wave of immigrants arriving from Europe. It is just off the Plaza Dorrego and has a typically Italian facade and a large interior Victorian Industrial space. The interior layout has been updated but the internal structure of the market building remains the same, with metal columns and beams, so stepping inside is still like stepping back in time.
Rosie and The Operator put off visiting here until late in their holiday and boy did we miss a trick! There stalls sell food, antiques, crafts, records, toys, antiques, enamel, silverware, maps, books, everything you can think of making for an eclectic awesome mix.
You could browse through these draws and stalls for ages…
But the food….well the food was awesome! Not only could you buy your own supplies to take home…its, kind of a catch 22, why would you when the restaurants here are so cheap. The variety and quality of ready made food stalls here are amazing! We sat at the bars of many and enjoyed our favorite tipples and nibbles from all around the world! Our favorite place was a Spanish Tapas bar….we even waited for a seat for 45 mins on our last day because it was so good and we loved eating here.
Buenos Aires is a huge city and Rosie and The Operator couldn’t fault the location of San Telmo, it is a short walking distance to La Boca and Caminito, the must see tourist spot in Buenos Aires. It is also on the subway and public transport links to the rest of the city. Rather than muck around with public transport and multi connections and timetables…just use an UBER. They are plentiful and soooooo cheap. We were advised to use UBER by the locals but they also said that UBER was not entirely sanctioned by the government here….so it was kind of illegal….the way they address this is that The Operator sits in the front seat, just like a family member or friend is dropping us off somewhere. It worked and transport around the city was quick, cheap and seamless.
Is the San Telmo area safe for tourists? Rosie and The Operator didnt feel unsafe, day or night. So saying Rosie would never walk the neighborhood in the dark on my own, common sense really, I wouldnt do that in my own town. A lot of families and the elderly live in this area and walk about getting on with their day. A few homeless people were scrounging through the rubbish bins on a daily basis looking for food, cardboard, aluminium and bottles. Rosie did not see any of them sleeping rough in this area at all and they didn’t sit around in the street or beg. On market day when the streets are extremely busy groups of youths gather and seem to be very watchful. This is the same as in any part of the city that is busy…dont be too fancy, try to blend in with the locals and look and act like one. Leave your jewelry at home, Rosie noticed that even the local ladies only ever wore a gold wedding band and that was it. Tuck your phones away instead of carrying them and never leave them sitting on an outdoor cafe table you are at. A local even stopped to give Rosie that advice in passing. Listen to the locals or any advice you get from those living here and take heed, they know their city.
Rosie and The Operator loved San Telmo in Buenos Aires, because it was an authentic, relaxed, laid back, old Ma and Pa styled quiet suburb. There are no nightclubs and hip and happening bars and clubs. It wasn’t ‘modern’ yet its offerings were world class set in olde worlde crumbling glamour. If an authentic family run suburban shopping, hipster trendy cafes and a great range of modern and old world restaurants is more your thing San Telmo is the place for you. If we were coming back to Buenos Aires….we would hands down stay in this area again. We loved it!
Tomorrow, Rosie will tell you all about the amazing food they enjoyed here in Argentina…….
